Camping Concerts: A Legacy of Peace

What The Festival, 7/17-20. Photo by Daniel Zetterstrom, courtesy of What The Festival.

In the 1960s, protest events and concerts during the Vietnam Era drew massive crowds united by the messages of musicians such as Joan Baez, Bob Dylan and John Lennon. The Woodstock Music Festival in 1969 drew 400,000 young people, billed as three days of peace and music. Anti-war music inspired protestors and Jimi Hendrix' rendition of the Star Spangled Banner at Woodstock may be the most famous live festival performance of all time.

Today, the multi-day music festival lives on, and though the connection to protesting is all but gone, the peace-loving element is still very much a part of the vibe. Some camping musical festivals are for good causes, such as the Newberry Event Music and Arts Festival to Defeat M.S. in La Pine. Others, such as Sasquatch!, have become famous due to the incredible music lineups concert promoters provide, year after year.

This summer in the Pacific Northwest, camping music festivals will inspire crowds to travel long distances for an incredible music experience surrounded by natural beauty. From the electronic What The Festival in Durfur, to the Northwest String Summit in North Plains, camping at a festival offers a getaway to another world and the ultimate musical encounter.